Much has changed over the past 40 years in the advancement of solid waste management. Early solid waste drivers focused on the top-down tiered approach promoted by EPA, which embraced a hierarchy of integrated waste management practices. These practices promote the following methods (in order of preference) to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover value from municipal wastes:

Source reduction and reuse

Recycling and composting

Combustion with energy recovery

Landfilling and incineration without energy recovery

The EPA-preferred strategy is illustrated on the left side of Figure 1, page 28. This illustration depicts the state-of-the-art in the late 20th century with the bulk of the work performed by landfills. Advancing into the 21st century, the pyramid will soon be inverted to advance the goals of reducing the amount of wastes disposed of in landfills. This reduction will be achieved by implementing proven and emerging waste conversion technologies for production of renewable green energy. The use of this green energy may also be used internally, or “behind the meter,” for powering other critical municipal services related to water resources.

There is a growing awareness across the U.S. that the inverted pyramid may not adequately address the true value of waste conversion technologies when viewed in a comprehensive approach based upon a lifecycle environmental and economic assessment. Specific local factors, which may significantly affect the lifecycle of cost/benefit analysis, include: local recycling market conditions, specific waste material content and overall system costs associated with collection, processing, transportation and revenues derived from the sale of recyclables. Equally important are the affects of each alternative, including energy balance (consumption versus generation of energy), air and water emissions, and disposal requirements for process residuals. In summary, the following five emerging paradigms will influence the future evolution of solid waste management industry in the near future:

Related articles

When looking at technical brochures and marketing materials in regards to solids-control equipment, one question that should always come to mind should be: Is this really necessary? Other great questions to ask are: What are my day-to-day needs; and what are my severe, high-duty needs? Finding the right solidscontrol equipment is much like buying a personal automobile. Most vehicles’ speedometers advertise that they are able to achieve 140 mph, to even as fast as 220 mph or more, but is this really practical...

Over the past five years or so, leading solid waste and recycling organizations, communities and businesses across the country have increasingly embraced Zero Waste. Zero Waste policies and programs establish practical ways to eliminate waste and safely reuse, recycle or compost discarded products and packaging. However, there has been confusion in the marketplace due to the many definitions of “zero” that are being used.
To address this confusion for its members and others, NRC identified the need...

In Elgin’s last White Paper, “Common Challenges Relative to the Use of Decanter Centrifuges for Barite Recovery in the Oil & Gas Industry,” a detailed discussion was offered about the complexities involved in achieving effective solids control when deploying a dual-centrifuge “barite recovery” system. As noted in that report, when centrifuges are properly used, centrifuges enhance the drilling fluid properties, thereby improving rig performance. By maintaining the target properties...

TOMRA Sorting Recycling is playing a pivotal role in the implementation of automatic sorting at the MSW plant in Xiamen
Background
The city of Xiamen, renowned for its natural beauty, is located on China`s southeast coast, in Fujian Province. Its famous seascape and clean natural environment are a magnet for tourists, and the city government wants to keep things that way. As a result, Xiamen is a leader, both in China and globally, in environmental policy.
It`s this ecological farsightedness that prompted the...

Customer comments

No comments were found for Evolution of integrated solid waste management systems enhanced with municipal utilities and green energy production. Be the first to comment!